Council applicants

On Monday, the Sahuarita Town Council decided to ignore 42.88 percent of voters from the 2018 election that took place less than one year ago.

Of the six candidates on the 2018 ballot, three submitted applications to fill two current vacancies on the council. None had the opportunity to advance to the interview stage of this process.

Mayor Tom Murphy stated that four of the 23 candidates elected to have their application discussed in public, which meant that they were not discussed in their closed-door executive session. When council returned from that session, they discussed none of the four applications before they went on to the interview nomination stage. This entire process demonstrated a lack of deliberation and transparency.

The absence of many of the candidates at Monday’s meeting was treated with humor instead of the seriousness the lack of commitment their absence demonstrated.

Ultimately, this process has reaffirmed the feeling of many that Sahuarita is a town where you get ahead because of who you know, not the passion and dedication you have for the growth and prosperity of our town. Of the six selected interviewees, at least half had previous connections with existing council members. I expected better. We demand better from our elected officials.